Maui, I completely feel you on this. But I think the important thing is that you caught yourself, you realized what you needed to do, and you're doing it. I too had a big regain over the past few years (took me about 4 years to regain 40 of the ~70 lbs I lost), and it's EXHAUSTING to have to start again. It's so daunting. But you did it, you're doing it.
I have the same thing as you, those 'stages.' I agree that the later stages are probably going to be harder.
I'm so glad you're feeling relief! That helps, I think. Keep moving toward the end of that tunnel!
And I'm not concerned about your goal weight. For your height, you could be down to around 140 lbs and be perfectly healthy (in general for people your height). And your doctor likes your goal weight. It seems very healthy to me.
Congrats on being halfway there!